TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key Points

With Central AI, anything unresolved can go to Central’s live receptionists, while Bland AI leans on scripted pathways, so unusual requests often mean a transfer back to you.

Monthly costs with Bland AI shift as calls run longer, since pricing is per minute, while Central AI pricing is based on how many calls you receive.

Once Central AI is set up, it’s meant to run consistently, while Bland AI often requires you to keep updating how calls are handled as callers ask new or unexpected things.

Key Points

With Central AI, anything unresolved can go to Central’s live receptionists, while Bland AI leans on scripted pathways, so unusual requests often mean a transfer back to you.

Monthly costs with Bland AI shift as calls run longer, since pricing is per minute, while Central AI pricing is based on how many calls you receive.

Once Central AI is set up, it’s meant to run consistently, while Bland AI often requires you to keep updating how calls are handled as callers ask new or unexpected things.

Features

Features

Starting Price

Monthly cost to get started

Starting Price

Monthly cost to get started

$49/month

75 calls included

$49/month

75 calls included

Pricing Model

How you're billed each month

Pricing Model

How you're billed each month

Flat-rate per month

Predictable billing

Flat-rate per month

Predictable billing

Setup Time

From signup to first answered call

Setup Time

From signup to first answered call

60 seconds

Answer first call immediately

60 seconds

Answer first call immediately

Built-in CRM

Contact management included

Built-in CRM

Contact management included

No external CRM needed

No external CRM needed

Appointment Scheduling

Book appointments during calls

Appointment Scheduling

Book appointments during calls

Books directly to calendar

Books directly to calendar

Knowledgebase Training

How AI learns your business

Knowledgebase Training

How AI learns your business

Auto-crawl

Learns from website automatically

Auto-crawl

Learns from website automatically

Integration Ecosystem

Connect with your existing tools

Integration Ecosystem

Connect with your existing tools

8,000+ apps

via Zapier

8,000+ apps

via Zapier

Concurrent Calls

Handle multiple calls at once

Concurrent Calls

Handle multiple calls at once

Unlimited

No call volume limits

Unlimited

No call volume limits

Lead Qualification

Screen and qualify callers

Lead Qualification

Screen and qualify callers

Custom forms

Qualification logic included

Custom forms

Qualification logic included

Multilingual Support

Languages your AI speaks

Multilingual Support

Languages your AI speaks

30+ languages

All major languages covered

30+ languages

All major languages covered

Platform Dependency

Works with existing phone system?

Platform Dependency

Works with existing phone system?

Standalone

No platform switching required

Standalone

No platform switching required

Call Documentation

Works with existing phone system?

Call Documentation

Works with existing phone system?

Full

Recording, transcription, AI summary

Full

Recording, transcription, AI summary

Spam Filtering

Block robocalls and spam

Spam Filtering

Block robocalls and spam

Proactive

20M+ spam numbers blocked

Proactive

20M+ spam numbers blocked

Outbound Calling

Make calls to customers

Outbound Calling

Make calls to customers

Yes, fully featured with appointment reminders & callback scheduling

Yes, fully featured with appointment reminders & callback scheduling

Quo
Pros
Quo
Cons
Central Pros
Central Cons

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Central's AI Receptionist, and how does it work?

Central is an AI-powered virtual receptionist and answering service that answers calls 24/7, just like a trained human. It answers every incoming call instantly, provides accurate information about your business, books appointments in real time, and captures key lead details — all without needing a human on the line. This ensures that your clients receive prompt and professional assistance at all times. Central sounds human, works instantly, and only escalates to a real person when needed, so you never miss a lead or opportunity.

What is Central's AI Receptionist, and how does it work?

Central is an AI-powered virtual receptionist and answering service that answers calls 24/7, just like a trained human. It answers every incoming call instantly, provides accurate information about your business, books appointments in real time, and captures key lead details — all without needing a human on the line. This ensures that your clients receive prompt and professional assistance at all times. Central sounds human, works instantly, and only escalates to a real person when needed, so you never miss a lead or opportunity.

How customizable is the AI Receptionist to fit my business needs?

Very customizable. You can define how Central greets callers, how it sounds, what it says, how it handles bookings, and when it should escalate. You can even upload your website or documents to train it instantly on your services, pricing, and FAQs.

How customizable is the AI Receptionist to fit my business needs?

Very customizable. You can define how Central greets callers, how it sounds, what it says, how it handles bookings, and when it should escalate. You can even upload your website or documents to train it instantly on your services, pricing, and FAQs.

Can the AI Receptionist integrate with my existing calendar and booking systems?

Yes. Central connects directly to your calendar, checks availability, avoids conflicts, and books appointments live during the call. It supports all major booking platforms like Cal.com, Calendly, and Google Calendar, and can sync across time zones.

Can the AI Receptionist integrate with my existing calendar and booking systems?

Yes. Central connects directly to your calendar, checks availability, avoids conflicts, and books appointments live during the call. It supports all major booking platforms like Cal.com, Calendly, and Google Calendar, and can sync across time zones.

Will my clients know they're speaking with an AI, and how natural is the interaction?

Your AI Receptionist is designed to interact with callers in a human, natural and conversational manner, making it difficult for clients to distinguish it from a human receptionist. We use advanced conversational AI, speech synthesis and understanding to mimic human tone, flow, and intent — including pauses, empathy, and context. Most callers can't tell the difference. However, if you prefer transparency, you can configure the AI to introduce itself as AI. The goal is to provide a seamless and professional experience for your clients.

Will my clients know they're speaking with an AI, and how natural is the interaction?

Your AI Receptionist is designed to interact with callers in a human, natural and conversational manner, making it difficult for clients to distinguish it from a human receptionist. We use advanced conversational AI, speech synthesis and understanding to mimic human tone, flow, and intent — including pauses, empathy, and context. Most callers can't tell the difference. However, if you prefer transparency, you can configure the AI to introduce itself as AI. The goal is to provide a seamless and professional experience for your clients.

What happens if the AI cannot handle a caller's request?

In situations where the AI Receptionist encounters complex or uncommon inquiries beyond its programmed capabilities, it is programmed to escalate the call to a human receptionist. This ensures that your clients receive the assistance they need without frustration. The transition from AI to human support is designed to be smooth and unobtrusive, maintaining a high standard of customer service.

What happens if the AI cannot handle a caller's request?

In situations where the AI Receptionist encounters complex or uncommon inquiries beyond its programmed capabilities, it is programmed to escalate the call to a human receptionist. This ensures that your clients receive the assistance they need without frustration. The transition from AI to human support is designed to be smooth and unobtrusive, maintaining a high standard of customer service.

How do call routing and transfers work?

Central knows when to escalate. If it hits a question it can't answer, or the caller asks for a real person, it automatically hands off to your live receptionist, with a seamless, professional transition. We support multi-department transfers.

How do call routing and transfers work?

Central knows when to escalate. If it hits a question it can't answer, or the caller asks for a real person, it automatically hands off to your live receptionist, with a seamless, professional transition. We support multi-department transfers.

How does Central compare with Smith AI, Ruby Receptionist or RingCentral AI Receptionist?

Central offers a more affordable, fully AI-powered solution with no agents or call centers involved unless needed. Unlike competitors that rely on live agents, Central offers instant responses 24/7, real-time appointment booking, natural conversation, automatic lead qualification, and 0 wait times, all for a fraction of the cost.

How does Central compare with Smith AI, Ruby Receptionist or RingCentral AI Receptionist?

Central offers a more affordable, fully AI-powered solution with no agents or call centers involved unless needed. Unlike competitors that rely on live agents, Central offers instant responses 24/7, real-time appointment booking, natural conversation, automatic lead qualification, and 0 wait times, all for a fraction of the cost.

How does the phone number work for Central’s AI receptionist? Do I get a new number, or can it use my existing business line?

Central gives you a dedicated phone number for your business. All calls to this number are automatically answered by your AI receptionist (like me!).

You can forward your existing business number or advertise the new one.

Want to see it in action? Dial +19498321178 to try our AI receptionist now!

How does the phone number work for Central’s AI receptionist? Do I get a new number, or can it use my existing business line?

Central gives you a dedicated phone number for your business. All calls to this number are automatically answered by your AI receptionist (like me!).

You can forward your existing business number or advertise the new one.

Want to see it in action? Dial +19498321178 to try our AI receptionist now!

Is the AI Receptionist multilingual?

Yes, your voice receptionist built on Central is multilingual and operates in English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, and more.

Is the AI Receptionist multilingual?

Yes, your voice receptionist built on Central is multilingual and operates in English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, and more.

Does Central integrate with my CRM system?

Yes. Central integrates with over 6,000+ tools through Zapier, and direct CRM integrations (like HubSpot and Salesforce) are coming soon. You can export call data or push it to your systems automatically.

Does Central integrate with my CRM system?

Yes. Central integrates with over 6,000+ tools through Zapier, and direct CRM integrations (like HubSpot and Salesforce) are coming soon. You can export call data or push it to your systems automatically.

How much does your answering service cost?

Pricing starts at $89/month for 90 calls. All plans include appointment booking, lead capture, call summaries, and 24/7 service. You can try Central free for 10 days. We also offer human support and live receptionists at additional costs.

How much does your answering service cost?

Pricing starts at $89/month for 90 calls. All plans include appointment booking, lead capture, call summaries, and 24/7 service. You can try Central free for 10 days. We also offer human support and live receptionists at additional costs.

AI vs Hybrid: Which approach do you use?

Central is AI-first with optional human backup. The AI handles 90–95% of calls, and escalates to a live receptionist only when needed. This gives you speed, coverage, and consistency, without the overhead.

AI vs Hybrid: Which approach do you use?

Central is AI-first with optional human backup. The AI handles 90–95% of calls, and escalates to a live receptionist only when needed. This gives you speed, coverage, and consistency, without the overhead.

"We were drowning in calls and website chats, missing about 40% of them during patient appointments. Central's Voice and Chat agents handle everything now. We've booked 60+ new patients in the last month alone, and our front desk can finally focus on the people actually in our office."

Dr. Sarah Chen, Founder, Riverside Family Medicine

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